56: Death of the military supervisor

Awooo!

A wolf howl echoed from deep within the dense forest.

In less than a quarter of an hour, rustling sounds came from the dense forest.

Lu Xuan stared at the distant woods.

"Attacking the camp at night?"

Soon, the soldiers took action, first lighting bonfires, then forming ranks.

Lu Xuan paid little attention to these actions that occurred every few days, thinking it was just another brief skirmish that would quickly end.

Unexpectedly, the Barbarians seemed to have gone completely mad.

Disregarding their lives and pain, they fought only for slaughter and combat.

"General attack by the Barbarians! Everyone prepare."

Clang, clang, clang!

The brass gong was continuously struck inside the camp.

"They're crazy! These people are absolutely insane!"

Lu Xuan looked at the situation at the camp entrance.

He simply couldn't believe their behavior.

He saw some Barbarians charging into the camp despite being hit by three to five arrows, continuously swinging the long blades in their hands. Others were set on fire but still fought desperately.

Completely defying biological instinct.

"These Barbarians aren't right."

After watching for a long time, Lu Xuan pushed off with his toes and rushed to the front.

He quickly attracted two Barbarians of the Xiantian realm to attack him.

Lu Xuan didn't kill them immediately; instead, he began testing them.

"Speed and strength are enhanced."

Followed by a few more moves.

"Their attacks lack structure, consisting only of brute force. Has their intelligence decreased?"

He knew that although these people were called Barbarians, they were not stupid; their customs were simply different from those of the Yue Kingdom's common folk.

After confirming the results he wanted, Lu Xuan swiftly dealt with them.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed keenly that the Barbarians' blood, after seeping into the snow, was slowly flowing in one direction.

"This blood is strange."

Originally, he thought his perception was wrong, but the blood from all the corpses was flowing in one direction, and the movement was extremely subtle.

The blood first seeped beneath the snow layer, then began moving at the very bottom. The mixture of blood and meltwater made it impossible to discern any signs.

Even Lu Xuan only dared to confirm it after checking several times.

"Could it be a Cultivator?"

Lu Xuan had a guess, but he dared not make any sudden moves. After all, facing a mysterious and unpredictable Cultivator capable of such a feat meant their cultivation was likely high. If he sought them out, he would just be throwing his life away.

However, he also noticed that only the Barbarians were strange; his side seemed fine and didn't have many issues.

This discovery allowed him to relax slightly. He then used the Grandmaster strength he had displayed to coordinate with others in clearing out the enemy's high-level combatants.

The battle was fierce. The Barbarians fought fearlessly to the death, refusing to retreat no matter how heavy their casualties. Eventually, a Barbarian Grandmaster riding a tiger even appeared.

The tiger he rode was also a Rare Breed, and the man and beast together held off three Grandmasters.

In the end, it was Lu Xuan's Three-Star Chain Shot that blinded the tiger, securing the victory.

The battle lasted from midnight until dawn.

When the first ray of sunlight in the morning dispelled the darkness, the scattered fighting finally ceased.

In this small camp, no fewer than three thousand corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Furthermore, one Grandmaster, over ten Innate experts, and countless Houtian Martial Artists had fallen.

Everyone silently collected the bodies of their comrades.

Not a single Barbarian chose to retreat; all died in the previous night's battle, and their casualties were immense.

If these Barbarians hadn't lost their minds, the casualty ratio would likely have been one-to-one, and few of the remaining soldiers would still be standing.

Lu Xuan watched the relaxed expressions of the crowd, yet he dared not relax at all. After all, the true enemy hiding behind the scenes had yet to appear.

All these deaths were just an appetizer.

Moreover, the Military Inspector was also very strange. This morning, he heard Wang Yuanhua complain that the army had undergone a major battle and needed to return for rest and replenishment of troops.

But Inspector Yu adamantly refused, stating that the Prince had not issued an order.

Previously, Lu Xuan would not have thought anything was wrong, but yesterday's discovery led him to some bold conjectures.

If his conjecture was correct, their situation would be extremely perilous.

The pale winter sun seemed to confirm Lu Xuan's guess.

Before noon, a messenger from the front reported that a group of no less than two thousand Barbarians was approaching them.

"Lord Yu, having just experienced a major battle, should we return to the county seat to rest first?

We have penetrated nearly twenty li into the mountain forest. If those Barbarians manage to surround us, I fear it will be difficult to escape."

"Absolutely not. I have not yet received the Prince's order. Retreating without orders—isn't that desertion during battle?

Deserters shall be executed!"

Yu Zheng's tone was like winter frost, devoid of warmth, crushing Wang Yuanhua's idea of temporary retreat.

"Grandmaster Li, you must keep the Martial Artists in your Martial Artist Camp under control. If anyone dares to flee at this time, you are free to kill them."

He said this to Li Yan.

"Military Inspector, rest assured."

Wang Yuanhua looked at the two of them, seemingly trying to see through their intentions.

"Lord Wang, prepare to meet the enemy."

Yu Zheng's tone was indifferent.

Wang Yuanhua walked out of the tent, feeling that something was wrong, yet unable to pinpoint it. It felt as if an invisible hand was tightening around everything, suffocating him.

Feeling troubled, he sought out Lu Xuan.

The two of them spoke quietly in the tent.

"Younger Brother Lu, tell me, the army has just fought fiercely, the men and horses are exhausted, and military equipment losses are severe. With so many wounded, shouldn't we be calling for a return to the county seat for rest and reorganization?

Must these thousand-plus young men lose their lives here before they are satisfied?"

Lu Xuan didn't interrupt, choosing only to listen intently.

After speaking for a long time, Wang Yuanhua left to arrange military affairs. Those two thousand men were closing in, and they would clash soon enough.

After Wang Yuanhua left, Lu Xuan stayed in his own tent.

Shortly after, he avoided everyone's sight, went out for a trip, and then returned.

Time passed slowly, drop by drop.

The atmosphere in the camp grew increasingly tense.

It was rumored—though no one knew who started it—that another two thousand Barbarian troops were approaching.

Yet, Wang Yuanhua showed no intention of retreating, instead adopting a defensive posture, which caused a slight unease among everyone.

----

"Lord Li, once the two armies clash, we can sprinkle the powder and then retreat."

Only Yu Zheng and Li Yan were in the tent.

Yu Zheng said to Li Yan.

"Of course."

Shua! A streak of white silk was drawn from Li Yan's waist, delivering a strike in a flash of lightning.

Yu Zheng, who had been speaking moments before, suddenly fell silent, then clutched his neck and painfully collapsed to his knees.

"Wh-why..."

"Lord Yu is as naive as ever."

Yu Zheng slowly fell to the ground, filled with unwillingness.

Li Yan, meanwhile, scattered pink medicinal powder. The powder drifted on the wind, quickly settling onto the soldiers inside the camp.

"Lord Yu is resting. No one is allowed to disturb him."

"Yes."

Shortly after returning to the tent, Li Yan took his weapon and quietly slipped away from the rear of the camp.

Not long after Li Yan scattered the powder, the nearby Barbarian soldiers seemed to lose their minds.

The Yue Kingdom soldiers in front of them acted like a delicious feast, firmly attracting their attention.

The charge was launched again.